Table 1:
Characteristics at enrolment of 185 patients with clinically diagnosed, uncomplicated acute rhinosinusitis
| Characteristic | Group; % (no.) of patients* | |
|---|---|---|
| Prednisolone n = 93 |
Placebo n = 92 |
|
| Age, yr, mean (SD) | 43.9 (13.6) | 42.4 (13.7) |
| Sex, female | 67.7 (63/93) | 55.4 (51/92) |
| Smoking history | ||
| Never | 38.2 (34/89) | 41.6 (37/89) |
| Former | 33.7 (30/89) | 39.3 (35/89) |
| Current | 28.1 (25/89) | 19.1 (17/89) |
| Medical history | ||
| Recent history of rhinosinusitis† | 32.6 (30/92) | 32.2 (29/90) |
| Asthma | 6.5 (6/92) | 8.9 (8/90) |
| Seasonal allergic rhinitis | 19.6 (18/92) | 18.0 (16/89) |
| Eczema | 6.5 (6/92) | 8.9 (8/90) |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 1.1 (1/92) | 1.1 (1/89) |
| Duration of symptoms, d, median (IQR) | 12 (7–20) | 13.5 (7–21) |
| Initial temperature, °C, median (IQR) | 36.7 (36.3–37.0) | 36.7 (36.3–37.0) |
| Pus on inspection | 20.4 (19/93) | 20.9 (19/91) |
| Postnasal drip on inspection | 19.3 (17/88) | 16.7 (15/90) |
| Nasal congestion | 83.9 (78/93) | 84.8 (78/92) |
| Facial pain or pressure | 95.7 (89/93) | 95.7 (88/92) |
| Unilateral | 36.5 (27/74) | 39.5 (30/76) |
| Bilateral | 63.5 (47/74) | 60.5 (46/76) |
| Severity of facial pain, score,‡ mean (SD) | 3.0 (1.3) | 3.1 (1.4) |
| Severity of problem according to physician | ||
| Mild problem | 28.0 (26/93) | 30.3 (27/89) |
| Moderate problem | 67.7 (63/93) | 68.5 (61/89) |
| Severe problem | 4.3 (4/93) | 1.1 (1/89) |
| Laboratory measurement | ||
| Positive result of Phadiatop test (atopic status) | 35.4 (29/82) | 27.3 (21/77) |
Note: IQR = interquartile range, SD = standard deviation.
*
Unless stated otherwise.
†
Consultation with physician because of rhinosinusitis in the 3 years before the study.
‡
Score assigned by patient (0 = no problem, 1 = very mild problem, 2 = mild problem, 3 = moderate problem, 4 = severe problem, 5 = problem as bad as it can be).